25 predictions for the 2025/26 season! – Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series

WE ARE BACK BABY! Summer is just around the corner and the Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series is bigger and better than eve

1. Mr Worldwide – One of the Internationals finishes in the top 3 in a Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series event

Piran Phillips showed us last year the internationals mean business and more than capable of matching it with the best.

2. 4 becomes 5 – This is the year when a club other than Alex, Newport, Burleigh or Northcliffe win a 6 person mixed taplin – but who will it be?

Hot tip – Nathan Smith coaches Wanda to a Mixed Taplin win this summer. You heard it here first.

3. NSW means nothing – The move home for Ironwoman Champion Naomi Scott will have almost no impact on her success this season, the winter would have been tougher but Scott is the ultimate professional and she is at the peak of her power.

With 2 cars up for grabs across both Shaw and Partners Series, Naomi Scott could be adding to her vehicle fleet this summer.

4.Don’t dream its over – we’re going to lose some superstars to retirement this summer; I could name names but that’s not my story to tell. Enjoy them while you can.

2025 saw the retirement of one of the greatest of all time Georgia Miller. Enjoy the sports finest while you still can!

5.Social media is king – The way our athletes do social media will change – more personality and authenticity will be the norm, while less board starts and transitions clips please and thankyou.

Jackson Borg & Dan Collins leading the charge in the new era of social media.

6.Ali’s Gold will be same same but different – New format, New length and in the Shaw and Partners Iron Series should produce a new look Coolangatta Gold podium… right?? Not so much – the race will look different, and multiple 500m transitions throughout the race will help the runners and hurt the likes of Ali Day… but when you’re the Australian Champ over 12mins and the Gold Champ over 240mins you’re still the favourite over everything in between, and I still think he gets it done. But also, in the words of the great Lloyd Christmas “you’re saying there’s a chance?”

New course, no worries. A betting man says he gets his 11th winners shot for the wall October 18th.

7.Rivalry is real – Athletes are beginning to skip the Shaw and Partners Iron Series to focus on the World Ocean Series – Will it pay off? Who knows but it’s going to be a storyline we keep hearing about all summer long.

8.EuroTrip – With the success of the European legs of the World Ocean Series over “Winter” we will start to see more athletes make the trip to the Northern Hemisphere for their summer. What an adventure; What could go wrong.

Racing with a backdrop like this? Say less.

9.Laydown is back – Led by Katy Rees, Cruz McKee and Harry Stone we will see a return of the glory days of Wrigglers. There has always been a few floating around but I think we get a few big performances from the lay down crew

3 lay down paddlers who will almost definitely beat you at one point this summer.

10.Coaching carousel continues – there has been a few major coaching changes at clubs in the last 12months. I don’t think that is about to end anytime soon; Surf Sports is big business in South East QLD and club boards can change every 12 months… This is the hardest job in our sport and they get all the blame when it goes wrong and none of the credit when it goes well.

11.Chasing the Gold – The documentary about the history and 2024 version of the Coolangatta Gold might set the bar in how stories about our sport are told; catch it around the country on October 11 and 12

12.Surf Sports Fantasy is a gamechanger – I don’t do fantasy football but I love a punt, hopefully someone brings both to surf sports.

Charlie Verco wasn’t just cooking up Molokai Race Wins this winter. Stay tuned.

13.Comeback athlete of the year – Noah Steiner (Wanda) – after injury stopped him from having a full summer last season, big poppa pump is the pick to make a return to his trajectory towards the top.

Big Poppa Pump. If Tent Talk love him, you should too.

14.Breakout Athlete of the year – Zoe Woods (Alex) everyone knows the younger of the Woods sisters is talented, but injury cruelled her past summer; this season will be different – she will be top 10 in the Ironwoman with a little luck and top 20 on her worst day.

Zoe Woods – one to watch for the summer ahead.

15.Watch out for – Wanda – I think Wanda will go from sitting just outside the big 4 clubs to forcing their way into the conversation; Nathan Smith has created an absolute Ironman factory down there and doesn’t look like stopping.

You can never get enough Nathan Smith so we will just post this again.

16.Offseason beast award – Rumour is that Mitch Morris has been on fire all offseason up at Northcliffe, it’s easy to get it done up in sunny QLD but I’m hearing he’s been getting it done before and after digging ditches all day.. will it translate into results? who knows, but he’s setting himself up for a good summer.

Mitch Morris – Has been burring himself all winter in both training and in plumbing trenches. Rewards to be reaped this summer!

17.MENS BOARD CHAMP – Corey Fletcher (Burleigh) – you cant teach competitive, and Corey Fletcher is fast, skillful, fit and one of the most competitive guys in the sport on a board. He will be back on top.

Hot take – he probably wins the MVP again too.

18.WOMENS BOARD CHAMP – Brodee Trinca (Southport) the big 4 will continue to do big 4 things, but I think Brodee is on the up.

Lights, Camera, Brodee Trinca for the board title in what will be one of the races of the summer.

19.MEN’S SWIM CHAMP – Jackson McCleary (Wanda) – burst onto to the scene last summer and will continue to do damage at his new club.

Truthfully this is the best photo we could find of Jackson. But if his winning form continues we will get a winners shot from Monkey Myers by season end.

20.WOMEN’S SWIM CHAMP – If Lani Pallister swims, she wins. If she doesn’t Naomi Scott wins…. It’s not quite Death, Taxes and Scotty but it’s a good bet.

We have the trophy engraver on speed dial when Lani Pallister swims.

21.MEN’S SKI CHAMP – M TRIM (Newport) – This tip isn’t from the head its from the heart….

Mitch Trim is due but standing in his way are some of the best to ever do it.

22. WOMEN’S SKI CHAMP – Jazzy Locke (Newport) The Aus title wasn’t luck; she’s been close for the last 3 years in the World Ocean Series and this is her summer.

Jazzy Locke is ‘Locked’ in for a huge summer of racing.

23. IRONMAN CHAMP – Matt Bevilacqua (Northcliffe) last year was below his lofty standards but I think as he moves into the elder statesman category of the sport, he still has plenty of wins left in him. But he only just gets there ahead of defending champ Ben Carberry in the last race.

They say you can’t teach a dog new tricks. Well good thing for Bevy he has already got winning dialled.

24.IRONWOMAN CHAMP – Tiarnee Massie (Maroochydore) – Saw her best mate take the title last summer, and I think she now has the belief to do it herself. But she will have to fight for it, this might be the most tightly contested summer we have ever seen.

Crazy impressive stat – Tiarnee Massie has finished third overall the past three years in the Ironwoman rankings. Is 2026 her year?

25. A new voice in Surf Sports – Finally, all good things (IMO maybe not yours) come to an end and while I’ll still be on the beach for the Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series, this is a wrap for “The Call”. It’s been fun but it’s time for a different opinion; the crew will still bring you some quality journalism from behind the scenes but it’s time for me to move on…. I appreciate you all, I always feel lucky to tell your stories, so thankyou.